Don't Look Back
by Kousuiryou
Summary: Years can pass by in the blink of an eye, but one little object can make time stand still forever. Tendershipping.


Okay... here we go I suppose. So I posted a story on here before out of a friend's begging. I think it did rather well, and I got several requests for me to write more... so I did. I'm still new to all this, so hopefully I can work out chapters...we'll see...

And yes, I know it's short. I personally think short is better, it makes someone want to read more and see what's next than to drag a scene on forever. Comments and reviews are more than welcome, good or bad. Cause to be honest, I really don't think I'm that good anyways, lol.

Please enjoy.

~ Kousuiryou.

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Ryou sighed softly, brushing his bangs from his face as he sat down on the couch in his living room. It had been over a year since the events of the memory world and his darkness had long since been banished, but still, Ryou couldn't help the strange sense of loneliness that had come over him. The teen had grown used to his dark side, despite all the agony he had been put through, and couldn't help but miss the strong, controlling presence of Bakura.

Shaking his head at himself, Ryou pushed away from the couch and stood up. He was almost lost in his own house without Bakura's controlling aura that had seemed to haunt him with every step when the demon had been around. Moving through the living room, Ryou made his way to the stairs, slowly ascending them. When he reached the top, he couldn't help it as his eyes darted to the doorway at the end of the hall like always. It had been Bakura's room, and despite a year passing since the spirit's absence, Ryou still had yet to set foot within it's walls.

A deep frown etched it's way onto the teen's face, before he shook his head once more, tearing his eyes away. "Just get over it…he's gone…" He mumbled to himself.

Moving to his own bedroom, Ryou flopped down on his plush bed with another sigh, frowning afterwards. It seemed all he ever did these days was sigh to himself. The house was just way too quiet for his liking. The teen wasn't sure what possessed him to move at that moment, but without hesitation, he pushed away from his bed and over to his desk which sat nestled in a corner near one of his windows. Maybe writing would take his mind away from the gloomy thoughts that plagued him. As he sat down in the desk chair, his attention was immediately stolen by the top drawer of his desk; it was slightly ajar. Normally this wouldn't have bothered Ryou, but it was the same drawer where he used to keep the Sennen Ring.

Biting his lip, Ryou almost hesitantly opened then drawer, peering inside. In an instant his eyes widened at the flash of gold reflected back at him, "It….can't be…"

There, sitting as calm as it could be, was the Sennen Ring. Ryou had no idea in the world how the trinket had gotten here, having recalled Yuugi telling him that all the items had been sent back to where they belonged. The only possible answer Ryou could come up with, was that Bakura hadn't been as destroyed as everyone said he had been, for only the demon had such magic to move the ring where he wanted it to.

Ryou felt a strange rush flow through him then, a mix of joy and fear as he stared into the golden eye on the Ring's surface. Should he try putting it on? He didn't know. For if Bakura really had returned and was laying dormant in the ring once more, the teen would face possession all over again if he dared to put it on. But, if Bakura wasn't there, then who else was dwelling in the ring now to make it seek out it's former owner?

Hands shaking slightly, Ryou finally reached out, letting his fingers gently graze over the cold metal. When nothing happened, he let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Filled with a bit more confidence, Ryou let his fingers travel higher, twining about the cord on the ring, before using that to lift the object out of the drawer to hold it properly in both hands.

The metal of the ring was icy to the touch, but the longer Ryou held it, did he notice the soft, faint warmth that spread deeply through it. This caused the teen to frown slightly. Bakura's presence had never been a soft warmth like what he was getting now from the ring. It had either been a chilling ice or a burning heat, depending on the darkness' mood at the time.

Unsure of what to do, Ryou did the only thing he could think of at the moment. True, it had crossed his mind to yet again give an attempt at throwing the ring away, despite knowing it would return yet again, but the teen couldn't shake the bitter loneliness that ate away at him. So what if his darkness had been abusive and even cruel, it was far better to be under such strict rule than to be alone. And with that thought in mind, Ryou pulled the ring on.


End file.
